North Adams Council Tours Facility Proposed for Public Works
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The interior of the former Aluminum Anodizing on Hodges Cross Road seems to go on forever.
Its abundance of space is exactly what Public Services Commissioner Timothy Lescarbeau is hoping to fill with trucks and mowers and sand and workshops.
"There's plenty of room in here," he said, in something of an understatement.
The City Council toured the facility on Thursday night, a follow up to last Monday's review of the city's public works buildings. The council is being asked to approve purchase of the anodizing plant and 30 acres of land for use as a consolidated public services building.
Councilors, however, have not yet been convinced on the price of $995,000, the bid amount submitted by the property's owner, Berkshire Anodizing, to the city's request for proposals earlier this year.
The administration said several months of negotiation hasn't changed the price but rather required actions but the owner. Among the actions were the removal of equipment related to the anodizing, or metalizing process, including tanks, chilling systems, vents and other accoutrements from the roof. Two massive gas boilers were required to turned over in working condition; one will have to be repaired.
"The big room with the cranes, that was nothing but stainless steel tanks from wall to wall," Lescarbeau said. The city asked that large yellow steel frames be left behind to be turned into shelving for plows along with the overhead cranes.
A large concrete holding tank, at least 12 feet in diameter, is also on the seller to demolish and remove. There are a number of other items, including replacement of plexiglass windows with upgraded glass in several areas.
"I'm sure they had costs that we didn't hear about," said Lescarbeau.
Councilor Joshua Moran, in referring to removal of elements in the electrical room, said accounting of what else the seller had done would useful in the council's deliberations.
"It would be helpful because that's something we would have taken on as the buyer, but if the seller provided it if there is a cost associated with it that would be helpful," he said.
Council Vice President Nancy Bullett said the council would like to know "the improvements have been done to the facility as part of the negotiations."
The most obvious thing the seller has done is to empty the building. Lescarbeau pointed out areas in the open building that would house Parks & Recreation, Cemetery, Highway, Building and Water departments — and more if needed.
The three main areas will be reception, with a lobby several offices and a meeting room. Departments will be housed in the main structure and a "cold storage" area will compromise most of the north side of the building.
A sand blasting and a paint room are planned along with a new mechanics area for maintaining vehicles and equipment. Mowers will also be stored at the east end with an egress so they can be driven to the cemetery over a planned access road being put in by the developer of a solar array on the north side of the property.
Lescarbeau said the temperatures will be about 45 degrees in the cold storage areas to save on energy costs for storage of sand/salt, building materials and trucks. Any vehicles that need work can be driven up a ramp into the main area for repairs.
"This is where we'd put everything you saw down at the salt shed the other night," he said. "Plows and sanders ... as you can see there are cranes overhead. You drive the truck in, pick the sander up or the plow and you set it on the truck, in front of the truck and drive out."
The Water Department would have not only two separate rooms for supplies and workshop (that wouldn't have to also be shared with vehicles), it would also get a couple offices. Now, three people are sharing one office.
On the west end of the building, another suite of offices would house the Building Department. An addition on the end, where the concrete tank is located, would house all the salt and sand.
"There's plenty of maneuverability in here for loaders and trucks moving in and out to load. It's more room than we have now," Lescarbeau said.
The city will have to install an oversized door on one side and fill in and level the concrete floor.
Perhaps the biggest plus for employees are a number of working toilets, two locker rooms with showers — one for men and one for women — and two break rooms.
The Finance Committee reviews the money side of the proposed purchase on Sept. 12.
Tags: DPW, municipal property, purchase & sales ,
